As part of our series of posts on software marketing using video, this post will discuss how software demo videos can be very effective.
What is a software demo video?
The answer may seem obvious, but a software demo video doesn’t have to mean just a simple screencast (a monitor recording) of the software with a dull voiceover announcing every feature of the program/app/service in order. Involving a real user of the software in action and in context is a much better way to demonstrate how practical a software solution is. Doing this at a good pace can effectively communicate the fundamental benefits of your product in just a few minutes.
Introductory videos are now found directly within mobile app stores like Google Play, where purchases are just a tap away. When more and more applications are going mobile (sometimes even mobile-only), or working across devices or multiscreen, a more hands-on demo can be a great way to show off the accessibility of the product and more generally show how a software solution fits into a daily workflow. Some apps might aim to integrate other media with speech or image recognition, or even feature augmented reality. A great example of this is the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskin.
“Designing With the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskin” – Evernote Corp. and Moleskin
Evernote is a cloud-synchronised note-taking and personal organisation app. Evernote recently collaborated with Moleskin to produce a physical notebook that could be integrated with the Evernote app, bridging the gap for those that still prefer to work on pen and paper, in this case, designers and artists. This demo video focuses on the working tools and environment of the target audience to give the product context.
Identifying with the audience’s scenario
The video focuses on appreciating the preference for a physical notebook for thinking visually, identifying that the alternative is “very cumbersome”, and how the problem of getting this data onto a computer in a convenient and accessible format is solved by, for example, auto-tagging with image recognition to share notes, and text-recognition that is indexed and made searchable.
Note that there is a big difference between a product demonstration and a tutorial. We think this video does a great job of combining quick demonstrations of features in a personable way without delving too much into the specific steps of the software. Video drives these possibilities, allowing easy explanations from the voiceover while simultaneously framing the fundamental software features in first person and focusing on familiar tools, all within a simple narrative. This is perfect when targeting an audience that uses visual communication as both their working methodology and their product – the video uses the same form of communication as the audience is familiar with and makes them feel comfortable by framing the context of a studio full of traditional tools.
Focus on results
Just 1m 10s into the video we already arrive at the testimonials result: “Being able to save to Evernote quickly and easily helps me stay organised and ultimately makes my work better.”
This is the USP of the notebook/software combo as there are very few similarly integrated solutions on the market. In well under two minutes the video has targeted the audience, the everyday problem that it solves, demonstrated those solutions in use and has summarised the benefits to the customer in a friendly and personable atmosphere that is more likely to resonate with that audience. If you think a product demo is the best way to sell your product (especially something more hands-on) then definitely think about framing it within a realistic context such as in the example.
Other video styles for software companies
Software companies should also check out examples of explainer videos and software video tutorials as other great ways to get the best out of video.
We hope this example has made you think about software demos differently, but every business is different and if you are wondering how video could work for you feel free to get in touch with us. Subscribe to our RSS and follow us on Twitter for more on Video Marketing, Video SEO and latest developments in the online video space.